The Palatka daily news. (Palatka, Fla.) 1884-1888, 1887-01-21
GLUT OF ORANGES.
Five Great Foreign CargOes at the
Piers and Prices Low.


From the New York Market journal.
An idea prevails to some extent, that
the Florida Fruit Exchange is an institu-
tion founded solely or mainly to act as
the forwarding agent and factor of the
growers, for whatever oranges it can
gather up and send forward to the New
York Auction House. This is an error;
on the contrary, it is really an association
of fruit growers. who have combined to
! procure information from all sources for
| mutual benefit, and to seek out and sup
| ply any and all desirable and profitable
| markets with their fruits, under such
/ conditions as may seem most favorable
| and advantageous to all concerned. 1t
pays but one official salary, that of the
general manager, whose position Is no
| sinecure.
| Arrivals of Florida oranges have been
very light of late, as compared with re
ceipts prior to January LIST, but still
! ample to meet the small demand, which
is owing, in part, to the extremely cold
weather as well as the recent enormous
arrivals of foreign fruits.
No less than five large cargoes compris-
ing total of AZ, 500 boxes ard 5, 900 cases,
| each equal TO two boxes), of Mediterra-
| mean oranges have been lying at our
wharves this week, awaiting sales, and
| some of them have been held many days
for the weather to moderate before break
ing bulk. There il consequently a regu-
| lar "glut" in this frnit, with very low
prices, late auction sales ranging from
IS cents to 1925 per box. Ii is safe to
predict that when the next warm wave
pays us visit, the streets will swarm
| with wagon boys and everybody with his
neighbors will eat oranges.
One essential ADVANTAGE pOSspssad nv
receivers of foreign fruits over the con-
/ signee of domestic fruits If that no fruit
laden steamer from a foreign port can
| legally discharge her cargo in freezing
weather, in New York or any other
American city, unless by consent or re
quest of consgnees. Decisions TO this
effect have more than once been rendered
by Judges of the United States Courts,
and there is little doubt that our domes-
tic or coastwise steamship companies can
also be held to very strict accounta-
bility, and be made to pay for
losses to shippers or cOnsignees occur
ring under such circumstances.
But notwithstanding the condition OF
the market, as set forth above, prime
qualities of Florida oranges sold this
week, at the auction house, at from 80. 10
to 81 80 per box, and a considerable pOr-
ton of this fruit was damaged from 10
to Is per cent by decay.
Late Geographic advices report a Sc :
we're frost in portions of California,
where such an occurrence is almost IN
precedented. AT Riverside, in that State,
we are advised that at least 500 car loads
Of oranges are damaged or destroyed by
the frost, and it is feared the trees are
nipped.
Sales of Florida oranges at auction in
New York have, so far this season, been
comparatively small-les-,' perhaps, than
was anticipated, but it ia maintained
that prices received have been satisfac-
tory, and quite equal to returns ss gen
orally made the growers by New York
commission merchants. Prices have
ruled higher in some other markets, no.
tably in, the West, for reasons which We
| stated in a late issue of this paper.